Monday, June 21, 2010

Here is Bellator HW tourney participant Damian Grabowski fighting Michal Kita in BOTE which took place on 6/12/10 in Gydnia, Poland. Grabowski, nicknamed "The Polish Pitbull" is 12-0 with 7 subs and 5 TKO's on his resume.

Kita is no slouch himself, sporting a 10-4 record including 3 wins in the M-1 Challenge and an IAFC Mayor's Cup HW Title.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

On July 3rd, the MMA world will be shaken up and spit out after two behemouths brawl for the UFC Heavyweight Title. Inside the octogan will be two 265 pound monsters of epic proportion. The winner will be holding a belt and the world #1 rank in the heavyweight division.

Brock Lesnar v. Shane Carwin- This bout will unify the heavyweight title and be the toughest test to date for both fighters. Each fighter is an athletic freak, with massive hands, insane power, and quickness seldom seen for a 265 pound man. The key to each fighter will be avoiding a big punch standing and getting takedowns.

Brock Lesnar (4-1), an NCAA Division 1 HW champ, burst on the scene nearly three years ago in a K-1 bout in Los Angeles. In that fight, Lesnar destroyed Min Soo Kim in just over a minute. He would then enter the UFC to initial lukewarm results. Lesnar was beating up Frank Mir at UFC 81, before a ridiculous stand-up from Steve Mazagatti. Lesnar was then too aggressive and was knee-barred by the BJJ blackbelt.(Brock Lesnar Pictured)

Lesnar would get his revenge on Mir at UFC 100, getting a big takedown and nasty ground and pound shots. Lesnar earned his way back to the rematch after a three round beating of Heath Herring at UFC 87, and a KO of legend Randy Couture at UFC 91. Look for Lesnar to try to out wrestle Carwin and lay down massive GNP.

Shane Carwin (12-0) has an insane streak of 12 straight wins in the first round. In his last fight, he clubbed Frank Mir at UFC 111, knocking out his foe in just under 4 minutes, his longest fight to date. Carwin also has victories over Gabriel Gonzaga, Christian Wellish and Rex Richards. Carwin will most likely try to out box Lesnar, trying to defend takedowns.(Shane Carwin Pictured)

Yoshihiro Akiyama v. Chris Leben- Big time props have to be given to Chris Leben (20-6) stepping up and taking this fight on short notice after Wanderlei Silva was forced out with a rib injury. Leben is going to look to brawl in this fight, getting inside on Akiyama. Leben is coming off a big KO win over previously undefeated Aaron Simpson.

Akiyama (13-1), a black belt in Judo and Shotokan Karate, will mostly look to keep his distance with body and leg kicks, before getting the fight to the ground. Akiyama will have a big advantage on the ground, having submission wins over dangerous strikers Melvin Manhoef and Francois Botha. Akiyama has other wins over Alan Belcher and Denis Kang.(Yoshihiro Akiyama Pictured)

Matt Brown v. Chris Lytle- Expect this fight to be a stand-up war between two solid fighters. Lytle (28-17) is known for his crowd pleasing style and willingness to take risks, and he will in this fight. Lytle is currently riding a two fight win streak over Brian Foster and Kevin Brown.

Matt Brown (11-8) has been improving dramatically since his run of TUF 7. Brown defeated TUF 9 champ James Wilks, Pete Sell and Ryan Thomas before his last fight, a submission loss to Ricardo Almeida. Expect Brown to slug it out, with each fighter having the possibility of snagging a fight of the night bonus.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

The Tennessee Athletic Commission is still investigating the post fight brawl that occurred on April 17, 2010 after the Strikeforce main event in Nashville, Tennessee. Following current Jake Shields’ defense of his belt, which saw him pull off an upset against former Pride champ Dan Henderson, fighter Jason "Mayhem" Miller broke up the post-fight interview, getting on the microphone and asking for a rematch.

What ensued next was Shields pushing Miller, then Shields training partners Gilbert Melendez, Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz jumping into the fray, throwing wild kicks and punches. By the time the action stopped, it looked like every staff member from Strikeforce was breaking the brawl up. As per usual, announcer Gus Johnson was yapping like a crazy person to the television audience.

The rumored punishments for the brawl participants stands at a nine month suspension with a $20,000 fine ranging to a three month suspension with a $5,000 fine. These punishments are overly excessive. Fighters Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez and Nick and Nate Diaz were caught in the heat of the moment and regret their actions. But what damage was actually done? Everyone was healthy afterward and apologized for what occurred.

Mayhem Miller acted inappropriately for interrupting the champion mid sentence after he had just started his post fight interview. Obviously, the Cesar Gracie trained Shields, Melendez and Diaz brothers reaction was over the top. But, Miller should have known that type of reaction would follow if he got in the cage at that time. Likewise, Strikeforce employees should not have allowed Miller into the cage.

While I would agree with a thirty day suspension and $5,000 fine, hampering the fighters ability to earn a living for potentially nine months is overly excessive. I have seen worst displays in boxing weigh-ins and press conferences. Look up the Hopkins vs. Wright, Khan vs. Malignaggi or Mayorga vs. Vargas brawls on youtube.com for examples.

Recently, Paul Daley sucker punched Josh Koscheck following the bell at UFC 113. While Daley was released from the UFC following the incident, the athletic commission has not issued a fine or suspension.

Why draw further attention to a minor black eye in MMA history? The casual fan and mainstream media have completely forgotten about the incident. The Tennessee Athletic Commission should give the participants of the brawl a reduced punishment and move on.

(Jason "Mayhem" Miller Pictured)

Check out Joe Show contributor mmablaster.com for additional MMA coverage

Thursday, June 3, 2010

UFC 115 will take place this Saturday, June 12, 2010, at the GM Place in Vancouver, Canada. This is the UFC's first venture to Vancouver, which is still reeling from an extremely expensive winter Olympics.

The main card is highlighted by UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell (21-7) fighting future Hall of Famer Rich Franklin (22-5). Chuck has spent the past 14 months away from the game, taking part in Dancing with the Stars and coaching The Ultimate Fighter opposite Tito Ortiz. Expect Liddell to plod forward, counter striking and looking for a big KO punch. I wouldn't be surprised if Liddell went for a couple takedowns.

Chuck lobbied UFC president Dana White for another chance to prove himself in the UFC. Since, Chuck has renewed his commitment to fitness and training, with recent photographs showing a completely shredded Liddell with training partners. The former 205 pound champ has KO wins over Tito Ortiz, Babalu Sobral, Randy Couture, Kevin Randleman and Alistair Overeem. (Chuck Liddell Pictured)

Rich Franklin joined the TUF 11 show following the departure of Ortiz, who needed to get surgery. Franklin is looking to bounce back from 1st round TKO loss to Vitor Belfort at a 195 pound catch-weight. The former 185 pound champ will look to keep distance and fire leg and body kicks to Liddell. Franklin has wins over Yushin Okami, Evan Tanner, Ken Shamrock and Wanderlei Silva in his career.(Rich Franklin Pictured)

The injury bug has claimed many victims in the 11th season of TUF, and now it has spread to a coach. Tito Ortiz is out as coach and Rich Franklin is in. Tito recently had the neck surgery for which he was booted out of the TUF house, and appears to be in good shape.

With one fight before the semi-final match-ups were to be announced, Jamie Yager and his massive afro-like hair took on the no-nonsense Josh Bryant. In the first round, it appeared Yager got the better of Bryant with an assortment of kicks and knees. However, Bryant got a couple good punches in. In the second, Bryant was able to land a big right hook, followed by elbows and punches to Yager's face from the ground.

As per usual this season, a third round seemed to be in order. However, Yager was on his stool, not looking to be in good spirits. He wouldn't answer the bell, and ref Steve Mazzagati called the fight.

For the semifinals Kris McCray will have his rematch against Josh Bryant, who defeated him in the second round. In the other fight, Brad Tavares, fresh off his DQ win, will be fighting Court McGee.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

This Saturday we will see another installment of the epic career of the greatest fighter who ever lived, Fedor Emelianenko, in his quest to defeat BJJ ace Fabricio Werdum. The event will take place this Saturday, June 26th, and air live on Showtime from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

Strikeforce will try to recreate the magic of the last card Fedor was on, featuring supporting bouts of Cung Le v. Scott Smith, Josh Thomson v. Pat Healy and Cris Cyborg v. Jan Finney. Here is a look at the bouts:Fedor Emelianenko v. Fabricio Werdum- This is the first bout for Fedor (31-1) since his knockout win over Brett Rogers at Strikeforce - Chicago. Fedor has been training in his native Russia in anticipation of this bout against Werdum (13-4-1), a 2X ADCC heavyweight champion and Brazilian national champion.

Fedor will be looking to keep this fight standing, unloading his trademark overhand punches that seem to topple the largest foe imaginable. While some critics decry the level of competition Fedor has faced lately, all of his past opponents, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers have been legit top ten heavyweights when they fought. (Fedor KO's Arlovski)

Fabricio Werdum will be looking to get the fight to the ground early and often to utilize his world renown jiu-jitsu skills. The task will be difficult, but Werdum has defeated many top fighters, including Brandon Vera, Junior Silva, Gabriel Gonzaga and Fedor's own brother, Aleks.

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos v. Jan Finney- This women's middleweight title fight will seems quite mismatched on paper. Cyborg (9-1) has destroyed everyone in her wake since coming to America. The slugger has worked over former Elite XC champ Gina Carano, submission wizard Marloes Coenen and Shayna Bazler all via TKO.(Cris Cyborg Pictured)

Jan Finney (8-7) will have her hands full with the Brazilian bomber, but since a decision loss to Erin Toughill, has managed to rattle off four consecutive victories. Look for Finney to keep her distance before using strikes to set up a takedown. However, that is easier said than done against Cyborg.

Cung Le v. Scott Smith- This fight is a rematch of their bout from 12/19/09. In the first fight, Cung Le (6-1) peppered Smith (17-6) with kicks and long range manuevers for 2 and a half rounds, dominating the fight. Midway through the third, the tide turned, as Smith was able to connect with big punches, eventually KO'ing Le.

Look for Le to use his trademark spinning back kick to set up a high kick, in an effort to end the fight. Look for the heavy-handed Smith will look to get inside, taking the bout to the floor, or working power punches from the inside. (Cung Le spinning back kick)

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Here is Josh Bryant fighting Keenan Curry in FCF 16 which took place on 1/28/08 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After defeating Jamie Yager in his semi-final match, Bryant lost a close decision to Kris McCray in a rematch.

Another regular season of The Ultimate Fighter came to its conclusion on Wednesday night on Spike TV as the final four unraveled. The last piece of the puzzle will be the live finale, which will air on Spike on next Saturday night.

On the heels of the exit of Tito Ortiz due to a neck problems, Rich Franklin was inserted as the new head coach opposite Chuck Liddell. Franklin's assistant coaches were all UFC stars in Forrest Griffin, Tyson Griffin and Gray Maynard.

Franklin had the opportunity to watch Kris McCray's previous fights and was ready to fix holes in his only remaining fighters game. Most advice came in McCray not expending too much energy and using positions to his advantage.

First came the fight with Court McGee and Brad Tavares. The first two rounds of the fight saw McGee pressing the action with an assortment of punches and kicks. What really stole the first two rounds for McGee were takedowns. The third round was kinda strange, with Tavares first kicking McGee in the groin, then McGee getting Tavares in the groin. Quickly after Tavares was kicked in the groin, McGee landed a big left hook, got Tavares' back, then got a rear naked choke.(Court McGee Pictured)

The second fight saw undefeated Josh Bryant fighting Kris McCray. In the second round of the tournament, Bryant had previously defeated McCray, who was back because of the wildcard. The first round of the fight saw McCray getting the most of the action with a takedown and a couple uppercuts. The second round saw Bryant defending the takedown attempts and landing more power punches, stunning McCray. In the third round, it was close, but I thought Bryant got the better of the action and did more to finish the fight. Nonetheless, the judges gave the decision to McCray.(Kris McCray Pictured)

After the two fights, the final was set as Kris McCray would be fighting Court McGee. McCray is an exceptional wrestler, with good power and cardio. Court McGee seems to have the better stand-up game and a solid wrestler in his own right. The fight will probably feature McGee looking to land combinations standing, while McCray looks to get the fight to the mat.

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